lcionline Chapter 190 Putmans
Chapter 190 Putmans
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Hans Putmans was a soldier by birth and a very capable man. He arrived in the East Indies in 1624 as a junior merchant and was promoted to merchant in 1626. He distinguished himself during the siege of Batavia by the local ruler. In less than five years, he qualified as a member of the East Indies Council.
Perhaps due to his military background, Putmans was resolute and decisive, and had a passion for using force.
Upon assuming office, he immediately began suppressing small groups of Chinese pirates operating in the region, while simultaneously launching continuous military retaliations against the hostile local inhabitants. He also requested the East Indies Council to dispatch 1300 soldiers and necessary weapons to expel the Spanish occupying northern Taiwan and bring their fortifications under the company's jurisdiction. This request was unsurprisingly rejected—the company's army in the East Indies had never exceeded 8000 men. Even if the Spanish could be expelled temporarily, governing such a vast area would inevitably place a tremendous burden on the company.
It's important to know that, to this day, the trade in Tainan remains unprofitable. At the beginning of Putmans's tenure, the Tainan trading post went four months without a single maritime transaction, facing internal and external difficulties, and the company almost gave up – ultimately, it survived only because it saw Tainan as a trading window to China.
As the ambitious governor of Tai Wan, Putmans certainly didn't want the Tai Wan Trading Company to close down under his watch. He had always dreamed of opening direct trade channels with China. However, he hadn't succeeded yet—Zheng Yiguan's attitude was erratic, and the Ming court and officials were unpredictable: they ignored all suggestions and requests for negotiation from the company, obstructing trade through various means, whether it was pleas, bribes, or threats, all to no avail. Chinese merchants either refused to enter the Tai Wan trade and sailed directly to Manila, or they promised to purchase goods but then absconded with the company's prepayment.
Putmans concluded that to trade with the Chinese, force was necessary. He proposed conquering a port on the Chinese coast, establishing a stronghold, and then forcing the Chinese government to agree to trade through continuous plunder of maritime trade. He had already written a report on this plan and submitted it to the council in Batavia for discussion.
“These wretched yellow-skinned monkeys, all they know are cannons and matchlock guns! Only a good beating will teach them how to get along with people!” Putmans thought to himself, looking with disgust at the workers expanding Fort Zeelandia—most of whom were local Han Chinese immigrants. Labor shortages had always been a headache for the Taiwanese governor. The Dutch company that brought personnel to the island, even including slaves and hired East Indians, never exceeded a thousand, and staff were constantly dwindling: some fell ill, some died. He had to hire Chinese to complete most of the civil engineering and land reclamation work, incurring high labor costs and further exacerbating the governor's already struggling finances.
However, he dared not be careless when it came to defense. The company had hundreds of thousands of guilders in cash and goods stored in the high-ranking official's trading post. If anything went wrong, the company would absolutely not forgive him—the directors of the Seven Provinces Republic showed no mercy to anyone who damaged their profits—the fate of his predecessor, Peter Natz, was a stark reminder of this.
However, things have recently taken a turn for the better in trade with China. Liu Xiang's rise has softened Zheng Yiguan's attitude—at least in terms of trade cooperation, he is not as adamant as before. Last month, Zheng Yiguan's envoy even brought him a letter, exploring the possibility of Dutch support.
Putmans received word that the council had agreed to provide Liu Xiang with covert support. Besides allowing Liu Xiang's massive fleet to dock at Dai-Aman, two old two-masted ships had been sold to him. The greater the pressure on Zheng Yiguan, the more harmonious his relationship with the Dutch would become. Of course, Putmans thought that if Liu Xiang's power grew too great, it would be quite detrimental to Dai-Aman; pirates were always difficult to control. For one thing, Liu Xiang currently had his main force stationed in Dai-Aman, and if he were to turn against them, it would pose a significant security threat to Fort Zeelandia.
We need to divert Liu Xiang's attention to Zheng Yiguan, let them fight it out, and the company can then mediate and profit from it. With this thought in mind, Putmans rang a bell, and a servant entered.
"Tell my communications officer that I need to meet with Liu Xiang."
An hour later, the servant led a lean, middle-aged man into the room.
The middle-aged man's eyes gleamed, a mixture of cunning and arrogance in them. He looked at Putmans with a half-smile: "Mr. Putmans, if I remember correctly, this is the first time you've taken the initiative to see me since you took office. Is there some good news for me?"
This seemingly unremarkable middle-aged man is none other than Liu Xiang, Zheng Zhilong's last and greatest adversary at sea. Zheng Zhilong had wiped out most of the other brothers in the Eighteen Zhi, leaving only Liu Xiang alive. However, as Zheng Zhilong, backed by the imperial court, steadily advanced, Liu Xiang's life became increasingly difficult. Consequently, he found common ground with the Dutch, who were eager to open a trade window in the South China Sea, and they formed an alliance in a certain sense.
However, the Dutch were unwilling to put all their eggs in one basket and wavered between him and Zheng Zhilong. Apart from giving him two Western-style gunboats as a gift, they did not provide any other substantial assistance.
Putmans smiled and said, “You are a friend of the East India Company, a trustworthy partner, and we need each other. I have inside information that the company is very likely to launch a war against the Ming Dynasty based on my advice. If this war is won, it will be of great benefit to both you and the company. Before my report is officially adopted by the company, if you launch some eye-catching offensives, it will make things go more smoothly.”
Liu Xiang frowned. The so-called eye-catching offensive was nothing more than taking the initiative to attack Zheng Zhilong. This red-haired man wanted to use her as a pawn to create momentum for a possible war and to deplete Zheng Zhilong's manpower. He really had a good plan.
“Mr. Putmans, I understand what you mean. We Chinese need someone to warm up the audience when we perform! I have no problem doing this, since Zheng Yiguan and I are mortal enemies. However, since we are now in the same boat, aren't two gunboats a bit too few? Give me a few more, and cannons are essential too. Zheng Yiguan has everything he needs, from ships to cannons. Most of the newly cast cannons in Guangdong have been given to him.”
Putmans' smile remained unchanged: "I understand your feelings, but without the company's approval, I cannot use the company's assets. Within the scope of my authority, I can guarantee that once we defeat the Ming government and Zheng Yiguan, his fleet, his men, and his goods will all be yours. We only want the monopoly on trade rights."
Liu Xiang couldn't help but curse inwardly. Those red-haired people were so stingy. Anyone could say such cheap things, but only if they could win. However, he also understood that relying solely on his own strength, he could deal with a sea lord like Zhu Cai Lao, but he didn't have much of a chance of winning a direct battle with Zheng Zhilong. He had to rely on the red-haired people's strong ships and powerful cannons. Therefore, no matter how stingy the red-haired people were, he had to grit his teeth and bear it.
"Alright, what do you want me to do?" Liu Xiang finally gave in.
"You need to find Zheng Yiguan's fleet around Kinmen—it doesn't have to be his main force—and win one or two battles to solidify the company council's resolve. Once the order to wage war is given, I will join you to attack Kinmen and Zhongzuo until Zheng Yiguan surrenders or the Ming government agrees to open the trading ports," Putmans said. "You need to understand that our goals are actually aligned: you must defeat Zheng Yiguan, and we need to gain trading rights. The only force the Ming government can rely on in the South China Sea is Zheng Yiguan's private fleet; he is our common enemy."
After some consideration, Liu Xiang decided it was worth the risk. If they could join forces with the Red-haired Man's fleet, their chances of defeating Zheng Zhilong would greatly increase. As for defeating his smaller fleets, that would be more than enough, as long as they didn't encounter Zheng Zhilong himself and his main force.
"Okay, I'll take this deal."
“You will be proud of this wise decision!” Putmans exclaimed dramatically.
After leaving Fort Zeelandia, Liu Xiang returned to his temporary stronghold in the harbor and summoned his top managers to discuss how to attack Zheng Zhilong's fleet.
Pirates have no concept of keeping secrets, and the news quickly spread, reaching the ears of many lower-ranking leaders, including Liang Dong. He hurriedly returned to the thatched hut, found Wang Qinian, and told him.
"Should we pass this message on to General Liu?"
Wang Qinian nodded: "From what you said, we can infer that this is just a small-scale attack, not a decisive battle between the main forces of both sides, so it will not have much impact on the overall situation. Besides, it's not the fifteenth of the twelfth lunar month yet, so the general's ship will not come to Dongfan Island, and there will be no chance to deliver the message. Let's wait until Liu Xiang and the red-haired people join forces to attack Zheng Zhilong before we talk about it."